PROFICIENCY (CPE) #2

PHRASAL VERBS

Come up with To think of/to produce. He’s come up with a great

(Ocurrirse) idea.

Jump at To take or accept eagerly. He jumped at the chance to

(Aceptar sin pensarlo) go to Germany for a
fortnight.

Take on To agree to do (work, He took on the job.

etc.)/To undertake.
(Aceptar)

Hang around/about To stand around, doing I don’t like to see all these
nothing. youths hanging about.
(Holgazanear)

Help (sb) out To help (a person), usually I help out in the shop from
for a short time because time to time.
the person is in some
difficulty.
(Echar una mano, ayudar)

Cheer (sb) up To make/become more He cheered up when he saw

cheerful. her.
(Animarse)

Break up To divide, separate or He broke up the old wooden

break into pieces. furniture and burnt it.
(Romper, hacer pedazos)

Run out (of a supply) To come to an end. The food has run out.
(Agotarse, acabarse)

End up To reach or come to an I knew that he would end up

end, usually unpleasant. in prison.
(Acabar, terminar)

Settle in To become used to and When I moved house, it took

comfortable in new me quite a while to settle in.
surroundings.
(Instalarse)

Move along To keep moving, not The police told the crowd to
staying in one place. move along.
(Circular)
 Catch up with sb -Cause problems.
-Punish. Sb in authority
discovers that you have
been doing sth wrong.
-His lies will catch up with
him one day.
-They had been selling stolen
cars for years before the
police caught up with them.

Cut back (on) To reduce considerably. The government cut back

(Reducir) (on) public spending.

Go in (with) -Enter a place. -I looked through the

-Become hidden (the sun window, but I didn’t actually
becomes hidden from view go in.
by clouds). -No matter how many times
-Be understood. you tell him something, it
never seems to go in.

Track (sb) down To search for (sb or sth) I managed to track down a
until it is caught or found. copy of the book.
(Localizar, dar con,
encontrar)

Turn up To appear or arrive. He turned up at our house.

(Aparecer)

Pay (sb) off To pay in full and discharge Hundreds of steel-workers

(workers) because they are have been paid off.
no longer needed.
(Dar el finiquito, pagar y
despedir)

Get in To send for (a person). The television is broken -

(Llamar, hacer venir) we'll need to get a man in to
repair it.

Get in with (sb) To be or become popular He's trying to get in with the
or friendly with sb. teachers.

Their use is generally informal.

Order: the verb and particle cannot be separated.

→ When it is a three-part phrasal verb: I caught up with Jack further down the road.

→ If the phrasal verb is used intransitively (without an object): All my hard work is paid off.

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